Family: Lily [Liliaceae]
toxicity
toxicity?lowish


Erythronium

Fritillaria

Gagea

Lilium

Tulipa

Some Genera have been moved out of the Lily Family:

Lilies mostly appear to have 6 petals, but in reality they have three petals interspersed by three equal-length sepals the same colour as the petals, and therefore look as though they have six petals.

Many Genera which were once thought to belong to the Lily Family have since been found to be not quite as well related to them as was once thought, and have been moved into either other existing families, or into new families especially created to cater for their particular characteristics as perceived at this point in time (it may change again). The former Lily Family has been particularly adversely affected by these recent taxonomic changes.

For Genera previously within the Lily Family, some have now been re-moved a second time within the duration of a decade and a complicated picture currently emerges. The following Families are no longer within the Lily Family umbrella:
Meadow Saffron Family (Colchicaceae)
Bog Asphodel Family (Nartheciaceae)
Herb-Paris Family (Melanthiaceae)
Peruvian Lily Family (Alstroemeriaceae)
African-Lily Family (Agapanthaceae) ⇒ Onion Family (Alliaceae)
Daffodil Family (Amaryllidaceae) ⇒ Onion Family (Alliaceae)
Onion & Garlic Family (Alliaceae)
Hyacinth Family (Hyacinthaceae) ⇒ Asparagus Family
Butcher's-Broom Family (Ruscaceae) ⇒ Asparagus Family
Asparagus Family (Asparagaceae)
Asphodel Family (Asphodelaceae) ⇒ (Xanthorrhoeaceae) Asphodel Family
Day-Lily Family (Hemerocallidaceae) ⇒ Asphodel Family

At a stroke, this, and other re-arrangements by taxonomists, has resulted in the plummeting in the number of Families. Currently, as of 2009, only 170 remain. If this rate continues, it wont be long before there is only one Family!



[LILIUM] Lilies

Pyrenean Lily. (Lilium pyrenaicum) Photo: © RWD

Martagon Lily (Lilium martagon) Photo: © Mike Baldwin



[GAGEA] Star-of-Bethlehems

Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem (Gagea lutea) Photo: © Mike Baldwin


[FRITILLARIA] Fritillary

Fritillary. (Fritillaria meleagris) Photo: © David Pilling



[ERYTHRONIUM] Dog's-tooth-Violet

Dog's-Tooth Violet (Erythronium dens-canis) Photo: © Dawn Nelson

Family: Lily [Liliaceae]

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